Estevan鈥� Del Block has an interesting perspective on the new truck bypass that circumnavigates around the north side of Estevan. As a retired Estevan Police chief, he dealt with traffic in and through the city on a daily basis. As a councillor for the RM of Estevan, he鈥檚 been involved with the discussions around the bypass. And finally, the acreage he shares with his wife, Carol, had its northern edge shaved off it when the route was finally chosen.
First off, Block says he鈥檚 been a supporter of the project from the beginning. 鈥淭here are lots of positives,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here could be a lot of commercial businesses along the bypass,鈥� he predicted, everything from implement dealerships to hotels, restaurants and fast food.
鈥淭he main driver is to get heavy traffic out of the city,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 expect there will still be a certain amount through the city.鈥�
There have long been issues with oversize trucks running into problems with the underpass on west side of Estevan, near KFC. 鈥淭hat won鈥檛 be an issue now,鈥� he said, noting there won鈥檛 be obstructions on the new truck bypass.
However, if there is a train causing a delay, for instance at the western end of the bypass, he expects truckers will choose to go through the city at that point.
He noted how some drivers are creatures of habit. When roadwork on the overpass on the east side of Estevan about seven years ago diverted traffic down the gravel roads past their acreage, a lot of drivers chose to keep using that route long after the overpass work was done. 鈥淲e still have international truckers to this day who found that route and use it,鈥� he said.
The new bypass should take care of that.
The city has diverted heavy traffic around its downtown core for many years, and that, too has been problematic. He noted the corner near the SARCAN is especially difficult when two semis meet each other going the opposite direction.
鈥淏efore I was chief, I pushed for years for trucks to go down Fourth Street, using the centre lane, with no turns, and going only 30 kilometres per hour,鈥� he said.
This is essentially what happens whenever the downtown bypass was closed for roadwork, as was the case for much of October.聽 鈥淚 don鈥檛 recall of a single accident when trucks were routed down Fourth,鈥漢e said.
There was a reluctance from businesses and the city council to do that, however, and the downtown bypass remains to this day.
Sitting on the RM council has opened his eyes to why it has taken so long to complete.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 happen quickly,鈥� he said, noting there have been numerous meetings and budgetary processes.
As for the Blocks鈥� land, it was expropriated, and it wasn鈥檛 the only land expropriated, either. 鈥淚鈥檓 still not settled,鈥� he said.
The initial amount offered per acre was a small fraction of the final result. That was a factor for the seven-and-a-half year long processes from initial announcement in the April 2008 provincial budget to completion now.
鈥淭hey came in with a lowball offer. It would have been faster. Two developers got much higher amounts,鈥� Block noted.
He agreed with Todd Shirley of neighbouring Bert Baxter Transport in saying truckers will go through the city if they are delayed by trains at either end of the bypass. The track on the west side, Canadian Pacific鈥檚 Soo Line, is one of their mainline connections from Western Canada to the American Midwest.
鈥淲e were up to 26 trains a day when I was chief,鈥� he said. There鈥檚 only room to stage one semi between Highway 39 and the rail crossing on the west end. If there are more eastbound semis wishing to turn onto the bypass but blocked by a train, they will stack up along the highway鈥檚 turning lane.
On the east side of the bypass, that track is a branch line with much less traffic, but also with trains that run much slower and thus will take longer to clear the crossing.
At the bypass/Highway 47 intersection, he was hoping to see traffic lights, but that鈥檚 not in the cards. Traffic leaving Estevan northbound on Highway 47 will have its speed reduced to 80 kilometres per hour until it reaches the stop sign at the bypass intersection. 聽
